Neurology exam Flashcards
Causes of Horner’s syndrome
Carcinoma of lung apex- squamous cell Thyroid malignancy, trauma Carotid aneurysm/dissection Brainstem lesion- vascular disease, tumour Retro-orbital lesion Syringomyelia
One-and-a-half syndrome
Horizontal gaze palsy when looking to 1 side
Impaired adduction on looking to other side
Exotropia (turning out) of eye opposite side of lesion
Causes- stroke, plaque of MS, tumour in dorsal pons
When combined with lesion of ipsilateral facial nerve causing LMN weakness –> eight-and-a-half syndrome
If suspecting Horner’s syndrome (partial ptosis + miosis)
- Test for anhydrosis
- Exclude lateral medullary syndrome - nystagmus, ipsilateral CN V, IX and X, ipsilateral cerebellar signs, contralateral pain and temp loss over trunk/limbs
- Check for hoarse voice, clubbing and finger abduction for C8/T1 lesion
- -> perform respiratory exam if signs present - Examine neck for lymphadenopathy, thyroid carcinoma, carotid aneurysm/bruit
- Check for dissociated sensory loss for syringomyelia
Causes of anosmia (CN I)
Bilateral- URTI, meningioma of olfactory groove, ethmoid tumours, head trauma, meningitis, hydrocephalus, Kallmann’s syndrome, COVID
Unilateral- meningioma of olfactory groove, head trauma
Light reflex
Via optic nerve and tract (no cortical involvement)
Accommodation reflex
Originates in cortex, associated with convergence
Relayed via parasympathetic fibres in CN III
Causes of absent light reflex but intact accommodation reflex
Midbrain lesion- Argyll Robertson pupil
Ciliary ganglion lesion- Adie’s pupil
Parinaud’s syndrome
Bilateral anterior visual pathway lesion
Causes of absent convergence but intact light reflex
Cortical lesion
Midbrain lesion
Causes of pupil constriction
Horner's syndrome Argyll Robertson pupil Pontine lesion Narcotics Pilocarpine drops Old age
Causes of pupil dilatation
Mydriatics, atropine poisoning, cocaine 3rd nerve lesion Adie's pupil Iridectomy, iritis Post-trauma Cerebral death Congenital
Tunnel vision
Glaucoma
Papilloedema
Enlarged blind spot
Optic nerve head enlargement
Central scotomata
Optic nerve head to chiasmal lesion- demyelination, toxic, vascular
Unilateral field loss
Optic nerve lesion- vascular, tumour
Retinal vein occlusion
Bitemporal hemianopia
Optic chiasma lesion- pituitary tumour, sella meningioma
Homonymous hemianopia
Optic tract to occipital cortex
Upper quadrant (superior) homonymous hemianopia
Temporal lobe lesion (PITS)
Lower quadrant (inferior) homonymous hemianopia
Parietal lobe lesion (PITS)
Adie’s syndrome
Lesion in efferent parasympathetic pathway
- Dilated pupil
- Decreased/absent reaction to light (direct and consensual)
- Slow/incomplete reaction to accommodation
- Decreased tendon reflexes
Typically young women
Argyll Robertson pupil
Lesion of iridodilator fibres in midbrain
Causes- syphilis, DM, alcoholic midbrain degeneration
Features- small irregular pupil, no reaction to light, prompt reaction to accommodation, decreased reflexes (if associated with tabes)
Papilloedema
Optic disc swollen without venous pulsation Normal early acuity and colour vision Large blind spot Peripheral constriction of visual fields Usually bilateral
Causes- space-occupying lesion, hydrocephalus, idiopathic intracranial HTN, HTN grave IV, central retinal vein thrombosis, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, high CSF protein level (GBS)
Causes of optic atrophy
Chronic papilloedema or optic neuritis Optic nerve pressure/division Glaucoma Ischaemia Familial- Friedreich's ataxia, retinitis pigmentosa
Causes of optic neuropathy
MS Toxic- ethambutol, chloroquine, nicotine, alcohol Metabolic- vitamin B12 deficiency Ischaemia- DM, atheroma Familial- Leber's disease Infectious mononucleosis
Causes of cataract
Old age Endocrine- DM, steroids Hereditary- myotonic dystrophy Glaucoma Irradiation Trauma
Causes of ptosis
Normal pupils- senile ptosis, myotonic dystrophy, facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, ocular myopathy, thyrotoxic myopathy, myasthenia gravis, botulism, congenital, fatigue
Constricted pupils- Horner’s syndrome, tabes dorsalis
Dilated pupils- 3rd nerve lesion
3rd nerve palsy
Dilated pupil unreactive to light or accommodation
Complete ptosis
Divergent strabismus- ‘down and out’
Causes- central (vascular, tumour, demyelination, trauma), peripheral (compressive lesion eg. PICA aneurysm, infarction, cavernous sinus lesion)
CN III (oculomotor nerve)
Supplies superior rectus, inferior rectus, inferior oblique, medial recurs
CN IV (trochlear nerve)
Supplies superior oblique muscle –> intorts eye
6th nerve palsy
Failure of lateral movement- eye is deviated inwards (esotropia) if severe
Horizontal diplopia to affected side
Causes
- Bilateral = trauma, Wernicke’s encephalopathy, raised ICP, mononeuritis multiplex
- Unilateral = vascular, tumour (cavernous sinus, retro orbital), demyelination, diabetes, vasculitis/GCA, trauma, idiopathic, raised ICP, paraneoplastic, myasthenia gravis
Causes of nystagmus
Jerky
- Horizontal = vestibular lesion (away from lesion side), cerebellar (towards lesion side), INO (abducting eye)
- Vertical = brainstem lesion (upbeat = lesion in floor of 4th ventricle vs. downbeat = foramen magnum lesion), toxic (phenytoin, alcohol)
Pendular - retinal, congenital
Supranuclear palsy
Loss of vertical upward/downward gaze
- affects both eyes
- no diplopia
- reflex eye movements intact
- pupils often unequal
Parinaud’s syndrome
Loss of vertical upward gaze
Causes
- Central = pinealoma, MS, vascular lesions
- Peripheral = trauma, DM, idiopathic, raised ICP
CN V (trigeminal) palsy
Causes
- Central = vascular, tumour, syringobulbia, MS
- Peripheral = aneurysm, tumour (acoustic neuroma), chronic meningitis
- Cavernous sinus aneurysm, thrombosis, tumour
- Other = Sjogren’s, SLE, toxins
CN VII (facial) nerve palsy
UMN- contralateral weakness, spares frontalis muscle –> vascular, tumour
LMN- ipsilateral facial weakness of all muscles –> pontine stroke, posterior fossa tumour, Ramsay Hunt, Bell’s palsy, parotid (tumour, sarcoid)
Bilateral = GBS, bilateral parotid disease
Causes of sensorineural deafness
Degeneration Trauma Toxic- aspirin, alcohol Infection Tumour- acoustic neuroma Brain stem lesion
Causes of conductive hearing loss
Wax
Otitis media
Otosclerosis
Paget’s disease of bone
CN IX (glossopharyngeal) + X (vagus) palsy
Central = vascular (lateral medullary infarction), tumour, syringobulbia, MND Peripheral = aneurysm, tumour, chronic meningitis, GBS
CN XII (hypoglossal) palsy
UMN = vascular, MND, tumour, MS LMN = vascular, MND, syringobulbia, aneurysm, tumour, trauma
Causes of multiple cranial nerve palsies
Cavernous sinus lesion
Retroorbital lesion
Paraneoplastic
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Chronic meningitis
GBS
Brain stem lesions
Arnold-Chiari malformation
Trauma
Myopathies, NM disease
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Dominant parietal lobe evaluation
Acalculia- mental arithmetic
Agraphia- inability to write
Left-right dissociation- put right hand onto left ear
Finger agnosia- inability to name individual fingers
Non-dominant parietal dysfunction
Dressing apraxia
Fluent aphasia
Receptive, conductive or nominal (Wernicke’s) = temporal gyrus in dominant lobe
- Unaware of aphasia
- Naming objects done poorly
- Difficulty repeating words
- Impaired comprehension in receptive
- Difficulty reading in conductive and receptive
- Impaired writing in conductive (dysgraphia) vs. abnormal content (receptive)
Non-fluent aphasia
Expressive (Broca’s) = frontal lobe
- Aware of aphasia –> frustrated
- Poor naming of objects
- Impaired repetition
- Normal comprehension
- Dysgraphia can be present
- Hemiparesis (arm > leg)
Dysarthria
Disorder of articulation with no disorder of content of speech
- consider cerebellar or lower cranial nerve lesion
- in cerebellar –> slurred, scanning (irregular, staccato)
- in pseudobulbar palsy –> slow, hesitant, hollow-sounding speech with harsh strained voice
Causes of pronator drift
Downwards- UMN weakness (due to muscle weakness)
Upwards- cerebellar lesion (due to hypotonia)
Any direction- posterior column loss (loss of joint position sense)
Muscle power grading
0- complete paralysis
1- flicker of contraction
2- movement with no gravity
3- movement against gravity only
4- movement against gravity with some resistance
5- normal power
LMN lesion
Weakness
Wasting
Decreased/absent reflexes
Fasciculation
UMN lesion
Spasticity
Clonus
Increased reflexes, extensor plantar response
Weakness more marked in UL abductor/extensor muscles and LL flexor muscles
Causes of peripheral neuropathy
Axonal (length dependent 75%)- diabetes, compression, alcohol, uraemia, heavy metal toxicity, Vit B12 deficiency, paraneoplastic
Demyelination (20%)- GBS/CIDP, metabolic (leukodystrophies), medications (amiodarone, TNF-antagonists, tacrolimus), infection, hereditary (CMT)
Cell body death (5%)- idiopathic, Sjogren’s, paraneoplastic, drugs (cisplatin, doxorubicin), Fabry’s